Electrical connectors have been provided in a wide variety of designs or configurations. Generally, a typical electrical connector includes a dielectric or insulative housing having one or more passages or cavities for receiving one or more terminals therein. The housing usually has a front or mating end for mating with a complementary connector or other electrical device which has one or more terminals for interconnection with the terminals within the housing. Electrical leads project outwardly of a rear or terminating end of the connector housing. Various systems are provided for securing the terminals within the housing, ranging from interengaging latching means between the terminals and the housings for substantially permanently mounting the terminals within the housings to releasable latching devices which permit ready removal of the terminals from the housings.
In a known electrical connector, a housing is provided with a passage for receiving therein an electrical terminal. The housing substantially encloses the terminal, and the housing is provided with an integrally molded hinged portion or cover which incorporates means for retaining the terminal within the housing. Such connectors are desirable because the terminal can be inserted into the passage of the housing with substantially zero insertion forces, and the cover can be readily hinged to a locked position to secure the terminal within the housing in proper position within the passage. Normally, the cover and the housing include juxtaposed walls with integral latches to hold the cover in a closed position. A problem with such connectors involves preventing the cover from being unlatched when undesirable forces are applied to the terminal, such as pulling on a lead attached to the terminal and exiting the rear end of the housing.
More particularly, with such connectors as described immediately above, lateral forces often are exerted on the lead which is attached to the terminal within the housing. If a large enough lateral force is exerted on the lead outside the housing, the latches between the cover and the housing may be disengaged and allow the terminal to be unintentionally pulled out of the housing. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a unique structural arrangement between the hinged cover and the housing whereby lateral forces on the terminal or lead actually will ensure positive latching of the cover rather than possibly releasing the latches as is prevalent in the prior art.